[1] Brocke was born in Edmonton and grew up there until he was eight years old when he moved to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, with his family.
He set up his studio, taught night classes at the Alberta College of Art in the Continuing Education program and worked as a scenic painter for film and stage.
[3] In 2006, he moved with his family to the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia and devoted his time exclusively to painting.
[1] They are personal, quiet, playful and figurative paintings created in the 1980s, when artwork like this was considered unimportant or perhaps, unfashionable [1] From Brocke's graduation from ACAD in 1981 to around 1993, he only created around 25 paintings, 18 of which (along with one drawing) were featured in the show Myth Making: The Art of John Brocke (2015).
The painting was also described by Globe and Mail, who wrote that its "marriage of medieval and modern apocalyptic millennialism resonates long after one has left the gallery".